Knife of Ice
by Zelavril
Summary: Our beloved bodyguard searches for the Fayt after an uncanny disappearance from the Lasbard household during the night. Just what is Fayt up to? FaytxCliff: Shonenai, Oneshot. I suck at summaries! Rated T just to be safe.


_--Rain. Silver rain_

_Battered the windows,_

_Pounding with their Tears_

_Of Fury. Each sliver dripping_

_A holy blend of sky, cloud_

_And Wind…---_

Fayt was not in his bed.

_-What the hell is that kid up to?-_

Hopping onto his feet alertly, Cliff silently sneaked through each door in the Lasbard household, creaking each door open slowly, slowly so that Nel and the others still lay in their pillows, sleeping hazily. The Klausian, trained as he was though, was not without his mistakes in this little "retrieval" mission; the bumbling, but courageous Klausian misjudged a few steps, slipping in a gross, yet elegant matter.

"Shit," he cussed, wobbling a bit before regaining his balance. A small, dainty owl faintly cooed in the distance outside. One of his steel knuckles slipped off, clanking down the wooden stairs. Clanking, clanking into the dark abyss. Silver shining, sliver gleaming. Cliff froze as he heard movement in the other room.

Nels' eyes flickered. She sniffled a little at the moist air, fingers curling and expression confused; almost as if she had woken from a very strange dream. What her eagle eyes didn't realize was that one her knives, and its' death blue sheathe was missing from her bedside. Thunder clapped, and with a tired, weary yawn, she fell back to sleep.

Relieved, Cliff jogged down the stairs lightly, striding down the hallway. After searching the rooms, Cliff wisped out his navy cloak, bracing himself for the icy cold weather. The rusted iron door was, unsurprisingly, cold. Cliff whisked his hand away the moment his skin brushed the surface, amazed at the sheer chill running through his body. He waved his fingers like a child…

_---And whilst the fighters_

_Fingers wavered from the_

_Cold, a figure stood aloof_

_In a cloak of snow white._

_The hilltops cried from icicles_

_That fell to the ground like_

_Sharp knives. Falling to the_

_Ground, the figurine looked_

_Up, ocean hair hiding a hideous_

_Depression…---_

The dead leaves on the tree above Fayt in the Palmira Plains fluttered silently over his head, crisp patterns identical to the creases in his cloak. His thin, feminine fingers tugged against the fabric, hiding his face from both any man and beast that passed him. His eyes glimmered tiny emerald slits, and his nails, originally a beautiful white, were rough, damaged little stubs of purple flesh. His eyelashes were long, and wet. He shivered, quaked and breathed in bitter silence, his breath playing a mist of pearl vapour on each note of air. Bushes around him howled and churned, branches whipping his back as the wind rocked the Plains violently. None of this really mattered to Fayt though; the real picture lay feet in front of him.

Death was everywhere. A few feet away the capacitated body of an Airygliph soldier laid crumped, eyes open and wide with fear, wounds to his neck still leaking small icicles of cold blood. A dragon lay dead and wounded on its back only meters away, but anyone with half a brain could have easily mistaken it for being asleep, it looked so peaceful. A further few miles away, a runologist laid face flat on the floor, with no apparent injuries whatsoever. But Fayt knew she was dead. Any person unlucky enough not to be in the frontlines was going to be dead. And the thing that hit the Leingod boy the most was this:

Everything here was all his fault.

The wind taunted him with the cries of the dead, the whistles of pearl white bones chattering, the murderous sound of tricking, dripping blood. Fayts' eyes softened. A small, opal tear slivered down his cheek, a small pale stripe glimmering on his face.

_Drip,_ and a second, _drop…_

_---_

Cliff, on the other hand, struggled away, searching for his little "mission" with clothing either far too tight or far too thin. His entire body shivered as he pursed his lips. Everything, and everyone but Fayt could be found. He had, after all, been everywhere; he'd looked near the front gate, he'd looked in the workshop, heck, he'd even looked near the mountain range to that little cove where the two of them and Nel got that ore. He remembered how, strangely enough, Fayt had loved the place and the dark coves… anyhow; Fayt was nowhere to be seen.

Clutching his wet cape, Cliff sat down on the wet ground, his mind deep with thought. Thoughts that burned in his mind. Thoughts people never thought Cliff would ever think about Fayt;- _why am I searching for him? Do I care for the kid? - _An ice white bird glided above his head silently, and disappeared behind the barn wall to his left.

_-What is wrong with that kid? Now that I think about it, he has been acting strangely. Heh, who can blame him? He's stuck with us terrorists, fighting against those damn shark people. he's seen Ameena and Dion die just when he thought they were happy; he's only nineteen and seen a war in full force, seen people die… being a peacekeeper and yet, at the same time, being a weapon of mass destruction…who wouldn't act strange after knowing and seeing all that?-_

_I have to find him… knowing that kid, he's probably poking his nose into matters best left alone. Or, in the worse case…_

It was funny how Cliff really didn't want to think or know about what the "worst case" in this situation. He just wanted to find Fayt, and fast. Tutting loudly as a large droplet of ice cold water dripped on his nose, he cracked his knuckles and, for once, looked like the founder of Quark he was- intelligent looking, thoughtful and relaxed, eve though that's not what he felt deep in his heart. Deep in his heart, Cliffs' heart, he knew he felt a pain his chest and a sweating fever of worry. He thought of Fayt as a younger brother, his most reliable comrade...

What frightened the normally laid back 36 year old was how he'd seen other people fall into pits of insanity, traps of death, from the same kind of situations Fayt was in. He didn't want to lose Fayt that was all. Or was it? Cliff wasn't so sure of himself.

Cliff was just about to shut his eyes again in though when something unusual caught his eye. Near the old devastated pub was a dead tree with bony, fleshless branches and hair-thin roots. The oak was lifeless and black. However, tangled in the branches' bony arms, there flickered a ragged scrap of white material. As Cliff walked up to inspect it, he realized the material was synthetic material- not usually found on Elicoor II- and was a glazed pearl white. A tear of Fayt's cloak. It was a contrast to the deep black sky; it was easy to spot, and, most of all, soft to the touch. Cliff panicked slightly, and looked in the direction of the Aire Hills. That war zone…

"Shit!" he cussed again, staggering to the gate and climbing up the walls. "I've got a hunch this is something bad…," he mumbled as he bounced over, scratching his left knee. Meanwhile, the white snowy owl emerged once again from the dusky barn. Its eye's were crestfallen, tired and sleepy. Nestling its head beneath its wings for a brief second, its stomach growled for food. Picking out the small mouse in the hay, he turned and swooped gracefully, claws trapping the poor little mouse in pain and death. Selfishly, the owl then flew off proudly, searching for its partner. The body was cold. It was cold.

Fayt's heart felt cold, too.

It was a strange feeling. He sat there on the hill, his heart was beating fast; his warm tears drizzling down his face; his teeth chattered; his hands were blue from the cold; his eyes fluttered like crazy and he didn't understand why this was, why he felt this way. His heart felt like it was carrying heavy stones that weighed down on his lungs. His chest… he could not breathe. At that moment, Fayt questioned his right to breathe. He'd never felt like this before, and to be frank, he didn't want to feel like this again. Ever.

The wind howled for a second, and hearing a crunch from behind, Fayt turned around fearfully, but seeing nothing, Fayt sighed and hung his head again, clutching his cloak tightly.

Fiddling slowly with something, he looked up to the moon, and then lay on the ground. He counted the stars. He sniffed at the air. His fingers trailed in the dusky soil. Everything and every part of Fayt seemed to be nervous; a shell of his original confidence, and everything about him just looked so small. His sheave empty, Fayt closed his eyes for a bit, his mind traveling over to the bodies that were mere yards from him. As his eyes closed, a small star died away from the sky- an explosion from a million miles away looking so small and delicate from Elicoor II. A small flash of white light, and a few seconds later, it diminished from all existence.

_-I'm here… I'm here again, back on this bloody battlefield. I wonder what everyone here thinks of me?- _He opened his eyes and brushed his feather-like hair from his face. - _I wonder if they are angry with me? With me being the cause of this mess, I don't suppose they're very happy. Their murderer is here after all…-_ At his side, his fingers curled into a tight ball._ -It's because of me they're dead! I see now, I understand now… -_

Fayt cupped his head in-between his knees tightly, like a small child.

_-Everyone must hate me. Gods, I don't blame them, but…- _part of Fayt didn't like the idea of being hated, so his thoughts stiffly turned to his comrades. -_Sophia… well, she must think I'm a real jerk, leaving her in her own pod during the attack. Maria seems to hate everything I do and criticize me for everything, Nel thinks I'm too young and naïve, and Albel just thinks I'm an idiot. Well, he is right- not much to complain about there. What, look at me! Playing the hero, when I can't even protect people from danger or war; I can't do anything!- _His fist tore away from his face, slowly pulling itself to the ground, and his fingers played yet again with the dead, dusky earth. - _Peppita and Roger just think I'm childish and Adray thinks I'm a skinny, pain in the ass who can't think of anything on my own. I'm just a target to Mirage, and…and…- _Fayt's eye's widened. -…_Cliff just sees me as a kid, doesn't he? Just a kid…-_ Fayt opened his eyes slightly and slowly thought about his capturer. He saw Cliff vividly in his mind; his golden honey hair; his sapphire eyes; his cheeky, childish smile, and everything else that made Cliff, well… Cliff.

Fayt sighed slowly as a gust of wind played on the drooping grey grass that stood, skeleton-like, from the ground. A tear again slid from his cheek, and Cliff, slowly peering from a nearby bush, spotted Fayt and glared for a moment at the kid's poignant expression. He shuffled silently, whilst watching Fayt, his poisonous eyes gleaming with hatred, rise from his knees.

"My fault," He mumbled silently, rummaging through his cloak. A jet-black wolf crept towards a few yards away, hidden, teeth bearing, tongue rancid with hunger and need for blood. It preyed upon Fayt, while he slowly fiddled with an object on his hip. Cliff's eyes sharpened towards Fayts' lap, curious and somewhat… frightened. His heart beat slightly faster as he saw Nel's ice white dagger on his lap. _-What…?_-

The beast, stomach growling, walked passionately, creeping slowly towards the blue haired warrior. Unknowingly, Fayt sheaved the dagger, looking at it, strangely. To him, it looked beautiful and hopeful: on the contrary, Cliff gazed at the dagger painfully, as a victim would gaze down at their murderer from the heavens. He had a _hunch_ what Fayt might do next…

Snarling murderously, the beast's empty eyes were pinned to Fayt's snow-white neck. Bending its' hind legs ready to pounce…

Fayt glared at the dagger and, holding it tight, aimed the blade towards his stomach… tears falling, eyes closing…

_-He'll be damned if he thinks he's getting out like that!-_

"Fayt!" Cliff shouted sharply. Fayt's eyes shot up like a hawk, face blushed and dropped the knife as though it was a hot plate onto the floor. His false grin was soon put on, as were the big, jade eyes; and hidden not behind his attire, but rather hidden behind him, above him in the rocks, Cliff saw the murderous wolf.

Darting from the bushes like a wild man, Cliff ran over to Fayt, fists clenched. Fayt looked confused and stood up quickly, staggering back a little. The beast, seeing not just one, but two meals, began to jump down menacingly towards Fayt, eyes' filled with greed. The beast was silent and quick, but not quick nor silent enough to avoid Cliff's razor sharp eyes and ears.

"Cliff!" Fayt exclaimed. "What-?"

"Fayt!" Cliff roared. "Move out of the way! Now, kid!"

Confused at the older man's tone, Fayt didn't move immediately. Fixed by those jewel eyes, Fayt pondered why Cliff was here, as suddenly, the beast decided to stir. It leaped, ferial expression present, and a quarter of a second too late, Fayt turned, spotting the animal and tried to dodge to the side. Moments later as the beast slid off onto the side, Fayt clutched his shoulder, hands seeping with his own blood.

"Ugh!" He moaned, pained. Frantic and unarmed, Fayt scavenged the ground, looking desperately for Nel's stolen dagger while clutching his wounded shoulder. The monster then looked ravishingly towards Fayt, mind controlled with hunger- but not before an angered, naturally powerful uppercut from an enraged Cliff.

"Getta load of this!" Cliff shouted confidently at the beast. Looking up abruptly towards Cliff, Fayt realized; Cliff was in control. Controlling his movements in a graceful manner, Cliff pummeled the beast into a corner without thought. _–The further away this bastard is from him, the more likely…- _Cliff's eyes suddenly became alert.

Fayt glanced in awe at Cliff, marveling at his strength and his…bravery at tackling such a wild beast. I mean, Fayt couldn't quite understand why. Why was Cliff here and why did he just save his life? Of course, Cliff couldn't feel anything for him; it was just something people did for their friends, wasn't it? _–Or is it?_ - Fayt thought with optimism.

Meanwhile, still struggling with the beast, Cliff wondered just how long his Klausian strength was going to last him…and just how long it would be before Fayt turned the dagger against himself again. He had seen it many times before. What would stop Fayt? The foe, whose jaws he'd just about managed to grasp with his knuckles and bare hands, kept on digging his knife-like fangs into Cliffs' pale skin. It didn't seem to matter how many times Cliff kicked its' side and broke it's horrendous bones with his strong feet; it still fought wildly…he didn't want to lose him. Cliff didn't understand it himself, but…

No. Cliff did understand. He never liked admitting it, but…

Not sure if he could keep on going, Cliff shot a sad smile to Fayt.

Fayt, eyes still focused slightly, caught the grin, and smiled happily himself. He knew.

And, for a small moment, the dark rain cloud towering in Fayt's mind slowly began to fade away and let in the sun. –_He isn't_! - He exclaimed to himself. His hands suddenly became attracted to the knife, as opposites attract to a magnet. He picked it up. _–He can't...- _Fayt stammered slowly in his mind.

Cliff gripped onto the beast attentively, horrified at Fayt's maniac expression… and at the fact that if Fayt turned the blade in on himself, there would be nothing he could do.

A small white chick suddenly hatched from it's solitary nest, some distance above the scene.

Fayt grinned to himself, holding the blade offensively, just as he'd seen Nel thousands of battles before, forgetting about his pained shoulder. He looked down on himself, pushing the blade close to his chest…

Cliff shut his eyes, unable to witness his friend's end, waiting for a fall, waiting for a pained cry…

What Cliff didn't expect was for the beast in his hands to drop suddenly to the floor, frozen stiff with fear.

"Ice Blade!" Fayt cried, small knife swiping at the wolf, icicles dripping from the edge. As he slashed the creature, the wounds healed rapidly with a patch of ice, the cold consuming, eating at it's body. Cliff watched the young warrior look down at the sickly creature, waiting for each patch of it's vile fur to freeze. And as the skin turned cobalt blue, Fayt jumped to the side, landing a powerful sidekick to its jaw. It doesn't take a great Klausian or Earthling to know that the monster's head flew off freely from its' neck. Relaxed, and hurt, Fayt knelt down, blood crying onto the floor.

Hands tired from the struggle, Cliff then knelt down beside the younger one, trying to examine his shoulder. Unsure of how to act, Fayt brushed Cliff's soft, caring hands away from him. His face flushed a powder pink.

"I'm sorry," he muttered softy.

Cliff grinned and winked happily. "Not a problem, kiddo."

Cringing at the pet name "kiddo", Fayt shuffled away a bit, but not before Cliff gently grabbed his wrist. Fayt met his eyes; more powder spread onto his face. Cliff looked at him kindly, and murmured,

"Don't do that again."

Fayt's innocent, lying expression came into play. "Do what? I was just outside-"

"-You know what I mean." Cliff interrupted, hands pulling away Fayt's defensive hand away from his wound, and examining him carefully. The rim of Cliff's fingers circled the wound, and he then ripped off the waistline of his shirt. Slowly, steadily, stealthily, Cliff wrapped the material around the wound and under his arm. Fayt grimacing slightly at the pain, but on the other hand, his chest also became tighter as he felt Cliff's talented fingers tickle around his collarbone. The bandage soon felt cool and wet. Feeling Fayt's tension, Cliff's attentive mode suddenly looked at Fayt's face, trying to see if the kid was falling ill, or had a cold. Misinterpreting Fayt's blush, he felt Fayt's forehead for a temperature.

"Wh-what are you-?"

"Just checking." Cliff spoke casually, stroking Fayt's hair out of his eyes. "Geez, just like a little kid!"

Eyes seething an angry flare of jade, Fayt suddenly tried to knock away Cliff's hand. Small pebbles from up above hit their feet unknowingly, crumbling upon impact. "I'm not a kid!" Fayt cried stubbornly. However, before the hand was knocked away, he felt his wrist yet again being gripped by the gentle giant that was Cliff.

"I know that." Cliff droned loudly.

"Then why-?" Fayt started, but Cliff loudly interrupted.

"I could ask you the very same question, kid! Why. Why did you steal Nel's knife? Why are you up at this time of night? Why did I just see you nearly just push that damn dagger into your body and nearly kill yourself?" Cliff stopped, anger draining slowly from him as he saw Fayt's defenseless expression. He sighed loudly. "Listen. I could go on all day asking you these questions, and I could go on all night asking you for answers. But I don't need to. I know why, Fayt Leingod. I know why you use that little façade of yours; others might look past it, but I see right through it. I'm a Klausian, ya know."

Fayt hid himself away, disgusted. "…sorry."

Cliff took another breath.

"And you're not alone. Stop acting as though you are, Fayt. How many fights are you going to go through before you realize that?" Cliff closed his eyes slowly. He needed a beer!

It suddenly hit Fayt how selfish and foolish he had been. He had just been told by his best friend how much everyone had truly cared for him. After all, not everyone would fight beside you every day and almost every minute if they did not care for you. Oh, how small Fayt felt then! Fayt looked down pitifully at his feet; eyes fixed… well, almost fixed as his face was suddenly lifted up and cupped in-between Cliff's broad hands. Just when the color had drained from his face, Fayt's cheeks proceeded to glow a faint rose. Sea eyes examined seaweed ones carefully, outlining all possibilities. _–Is Fayt embarrassed because of…? -_ Cliff pondered.

Fayt sat there, frozen, transfixed. As Cliff's hands cuddled him closer, Fayt's mind began to race. _–What's he doing? - _Fayt blinked quickly, as if to try to wake up from a dream. Sure- he'd thought about what it would be like being with Cliff, actually, being by him and him caring for him, but it felt a little too soon…

Cliff looked at Fayt's sheepish expression and smirked gently to himself. _–Aha! Thought so! -_ Cliff thought triumphantly as he battled to hold Fayt's shy, repelling hands. "Knew it." He whispered gently.

Fayt wriggled his face out of Cliff's grasps and hid his head in the shadows. He thought he could hide his embarrassment, but forgetting Cliff's child-like curiosity, Cliff poked his head sideways and saw the powder pink cheeks. So Fayt knew he'd given himself away. -_No more shame showing it, I guess…- _When their eyes met again, Fayt closed his eyes impishly.

"Hey!" Cliff said playfully, "What's that for? Cut it out!"

Fayt's mouth widened into a gentle smile. "You're the real kid, aren't you?"

Scratching his head, Cliff pulled Fayt up onto his shoulder, supporting him. "Well, yeah- but at least I don't throw a fit every time I'm called one!"

Fayt laughed to himself. _–Yeah, that's true_. - He thought… and as Cliff steadily held his hand as he planted a chaste kiss on his neck, Fayt felt everything around him melt.

"Don't do that again," Cliff repeated.

Small, silent, serene, the two slowly stridden back to the Lasbard mansion, head under wing, adult overlooking kid. Protecting the younger one, Cliff supported Fayt as they walked past each split bone, each bloody carcass, and Fayt shielded his eyes away by simply shutting his eyes. As they reached the stony gates, Fayt sighed loudly, eyes drooping slightly.

"They hate me, don't they?" Fayt questioned simply.

Cliff suddenly stopped, confused. "Huh? Who?"

Hiding his face a little, Fayt explained. "Everyone here. Everyone… who died here, I mean…"

Fayt suddenly felt Cliff's spare hand on his lips. Soft like a mother's touch, it silenced him, and Cliff looked down on him, smiling.

"Did you control that Vendeeni ship?"

"I destroyed it." He countered.

Cliff hit his forehead, rolling his eyes. "Nuh-uh, you ain't catching on. Did you, or did you not, control that Vendeeni ship?"

A quick fluster of cerulean hair shook in the air. "No."

"There's your answer then." Cliff countered smugly, opening the gate. As the gate opened up stiffly, Cliff planned out his words. "Urm… sounds a bit harsh, but, uh…" Cliff saw Fayt look at him shiftily, and he took a deep breath. "Ever heard the phrase, "'gotta put ya past behind ya?" I mean, okay, it's a little cliché and yeah, it's sharp tongued, but, uh…" Cliff began to redden as he continued to look at Fayt. Fayt realized this and gave him a confident grin.

- _Hmm? _- Fayt thought. "Go on?" Fayt worded carefully.

"And uh… well, you're a bright kid, you work hard for everybody and everything. You deserve more credit than you get, even if you don't let people land before they crash. Uh! I mean…"

Fayt began laughing nervously as he saw Cliff clear his throat. To his right, he could just about see the crimson sun cracking through the navy skies.

"Uh…" Cliff began nervously. "You, well… argh! Ok, ok. I'll just say it like this: nobody hates you. In fact, I haven't met one person who doesn't like ya. I mean, even that Albel guy wants to stick around ya. He can't stand the rest of us… and heck," he begun, "I wouldn't be around you or worrying so much about you if I didn't like you!" Cliff suddenly bit his lip. "Opps."

Fayt yet again blushed a powder pink. Fiddling his fingers nervously as they walked outside the inn, Fayt gathered his courage, feeling confident, and teasingly tilted his head sideways. "Opps?"

Cliff was shocked. _–Wha? – _He turned around and looked at Fayt. "You mean…?"

Simply giving him a childish beam, the younger one, still wounded, looked up to him. "Yeah."

**Zela!Zela!Zela!Zela!Zela!Zela!Zela!Zela!Zela!Zela!Zela!Zela! **

Next morning, when the group gathered in front of the Aire Hills, Sophia and Maria argued about directions again as usual, while Roger and Albel continued to torment each other and challenge each other with their "manliness". Adray and Mirage stood there knowingly, having seen most of the scene before… except one part. There Fayt and Cliff stood, outside of the ruined pub, not arguing- Cliff was still playing mother hen to Fayt, but it seemed more… open, less subtle.

"Am I missing something about those two?" Adray glared down at the couple with a knowing grin.

"Yes, I think we are." Mirage said quietly, and giggled to herself.

Nel, appearing from behind the corner, crept towards them silently to join in. "Indeed."

Mirage and Adray quickly turned around, jaws near dropping. "Surely you don't mean…?" Mirage started.

"Yes, I do." Nel smirked. "But I had nothing to do with it, really. All I did was hang their bait." She said simply, pointing slowly towards Fayt's wounded shoulder. "I just gave them a little push…"

Adray's once disgusted/confused expression soon turned to a hearty laugh. "And there I thought he was after a certain skirt wearing girl we all know…" Adray had to jump as suddenly, a katana was thrown at his legs.

"IT IS NOT A SKIRT!" Albel roared, ferial.

"Yes, Annabel!" Adray mocked, and as usual, stuck out a teasing tongue; which, but of course, lead to an even more vicious fight between himself, Albel and Roger. The screams of Adray for Mirages' help were as apparent as water being thrown on some ones' face.

Mirage's eyes, however, weren't really paying attention, as she was more occupied with watching Cliff hold Fayt close to his chest. She sighed. "So long as it isn't _him_, that's ok…"

Nel's grinning expression suddenly changed as she saw Maria and Sophia's argument cool down. If they realized that their competition liked them on his own team, surely murder would erupt… so hatching a plan, she dragged the two in from of her.

"_I _know where we're going!" She said firmly, making sure they didn't look behind them. "Come on. Let us go."

And as the group followed her through the bloodied plains, not only did nobody realize that Fayt and Cliff were together, but no one, except Cliff, saw the faint rainbow glisten in the sky…

"Whoa. They exist on this back water planet, too?" Cliff murmured.

"Huh, you say something?" Fayt mocked, remembering their argument on the Eagle.

Cliff snickered quietly. "Nothing!"

--

Ice, in reality, is the most stealthy and dangerous weapon known to life on all planets. In one blink of a second, the icicle strives and blooms with utmost beauty, and utmost innocence. Perhaps the most frightening thing about the design is how it melts in warm, dangerous atmospheres, and can crash down upon a loved one's life, and yet slowly melt away like a murderer slithers like a snake away from a murder scene. The tip of the cold can tame the roar of life.

And yet, as you have learned, ice can be the most useful material. It melts away to harbor lakes filled with pond life during winter when, without it, chances of survival would be nil, and can act as a protective sheave against hunters, whom without it, wouldn't hesitate to kill. In the sunlight, it cries depressing tears, and yet in moonlight, even in the coldest of places, it's colors truly shine. Like love, it exists on all planets, contrasting fire as love contradicts hate, and also like love, is needed in some small part, if not a huge, part of our lives. Think what you will from this story, interpret it how you will, but the knowledge you should know is this:

Ice daggers always melt away to the loving pyre…

----

----

**Zels' Notes: This took a while for me to post, since I was rather shy about putting this up. But hey; my first ever fanfiction in all it's disasterous glory. I know this isn't perfect because my grasp on English grammar is _terrible_,my writiing style is _weird_. I just hope it isn't so bad that it's impossible to read... becauseI've actually fallen in love with this one-shot of mine (_Well, so far as Zel can love her work. She'll hate it in a few days_!)**

**Why Fayt x Cliff? Well. Fayt x Cliff is a couple that needs my love. There are so few fics out there on them, and yet in my eyes, they're the best pairing out there in SO3. There was so many times in the game where I thought "Aww, how cute." and in addition, Cliff would make quite a sexy bishonen, don't you think? Plus, it's nice to be a little different and love this couple, since most Yaoi/Shonen-ai girls go for Fayt x Albel... and I just can't see any hetero couples out there, except maybe Cliff x Nel. Hmm.**

**Also, I said in my profile that this was the "dark" fanfic; I don't think it's dark enough to be called dark. When I started writing I was in December Depression; when I finished, wayhay, I was in Merry March. So... the mood changes quite a bit :) Sorry about the cheezy rainbow. I couldn't help it )**

**So...I'm quite pleased with myself at the moment. But, then again, if you had a hard time reading this one, then I'm sorry -- And if there's OCCness in there and about, I'm sorry again. Fayt was harder to describe than expected. Boy, it sure is chilly in here...**

Well, later everyone!

Zel xxx


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